Trippa and the better late then never New Zealand Summer

stickman · Mar 3, 2017

Trippa said:
Does anyone have a tried and proven refrigerator cold pickle recipe I could use ... I just picked a bunch of cucumbers and would love to make some pickles without canning/sterilisation

I've been making these pickles for 3-4 years now and can honestly say they're better than pickles made with vinegar. Nice and crunchy with a perfect balance of salt, garlic and dill. No heat used in this method, the pickles are fermented. https://www.chowhound.com/post/finally-real-honest-hashem-method-making-real-east-side-salt-805067

Hope this helps.

Trippa · Mar 3, 2017

stickman said:
I've been making these pickles for 3-4 years now and can honestly say they're better than pickles made with vinegar. Nice and crunchy with a perfect balance of salt, garlic and dill. No heat used in this method, the pickles are fermented. https://www.chowhound.com/post/finally-real-honest-hashem-method-making-real-east-side-salt-805067

Hope this helps.

Cheers Rick .!!! .... Will give them a crack alongside a vinegar based recipe I plucked from the net with good reviews ... I have a good amount of gherkins and small cucumbers picked and a bunch more coming along so will experiment a little ... Will report back in a few weeks on my results

stickman · Mar 3, 2017

Trippa said:
Cheers Rick .!!! .... Will give them a crack alongside a vinegar based recipe I plucked from the net with good reviews ... I have a good amount of gherkins and small cucumbers picked and a bunch more coming along so will experiment a little ... Will report back in a few weeks on my results

The half-sours are my favorite Tristan, and they only take a week or a bit more.

Devv · Mar 5, 2017

Rick, I bookmarked the pickle recipe. I can't wait to give it a try. Cukes go in the dirt August 15th. Spring cukes just don't do well here..

stickman · Mar 5, 2017

Devv said:
Rick, I bookmarked the pickle recipe. I can't wait to give it a try. Cukes go in the dirt August 15th. Spring cukes just don't do well here..

That's right... being from Long Island you'd know about these pickles. Glad to help.

Trippa · Mar 7, 2017

I gave these a crack last night Rick alongside a Vinegar recipe for comparison (and ability to keep a little longer in the fridge) ... They are currently sitting on my windowsill ... Will keep them there for another 24hrs as the temp has dropped off to about 20C in the day and 12C at night currently ... About 4C cooler then it has been ... How long before you put them in the fridge usually??

stickman · Mar 7, 2017

Trippa said:
I gave these a crack last night Rick alongside a Vinegar recipe for comparison (and ability to keep a little longer in the fridge) ... They are currently sitting on my windowsill ... Will keep them there for another 24hrs as the temp has dropped off to about 20C in the day and 12C at night currently ... About 4C cooler then it has been ... How long before you put them in the fridge usually??

It really depends on how much tang you want Tristan. I'd say let them run for at least 4 days, then taste the brine for sourness. When they get to the place you like them, put them in the refrigerator. I like half-sours, so I leave mine out about a week... give or take a day or so depending on conditions.

Trippa · Mar 8, 2017

stickman said:
It really depends on how much tang you want Tristan. I'd say let them run for at least 4 days, then taste the brine for sourness. When they get to the place you like them, put them in the refrigerator. I like half-sours, so I leave mine out about a week... give or take a day or so depending on conditions.

Ohhh OK then ... So its not the end of the world if they stay out multiple days then ? They keep maturing in the fridge albeit slower I gather? How long before they go beyond good in your experience?? 3 weeks??

stickman · Mar 8, 2017

Trippa said:
Ohhh OK then ... So its not the end of the world if they stay out multiple days then ? They keep maturing in the fridge albeit slower I gather? How long before they go beyond good in your experience?? 3 weeks??

Yup, they're like any ferment in that regard. Fermentation takes some time. Putting them in the 'fridge slows down fermentation but doesn't stop it. Three weeks in the 'fridge sounds plausible, but they never last that long here because we eat them too quickly! :drooling:

Just don't make too large a batch to eat within the window of opportunity, or recruit some help... once they get a taste, you won't lack for volunteers.

Trippa · Mar 8, 2017

stickman said:
Yup, they're like any ferment in that regard. Fermentation takes some time. Putting them in the 'fridge slows down fermentation but doesn't stop it. Three weeks in the 'fridge sounds plausible, but they never last that long here because we eat them too quickly! Just don't make too large a batch to eat within the window of opportunity or recruit some help... once they get a taste, you won't lack for volunteers.

[emoji23] I hear you Rick ... So you are saying in the next week I need to buy lots of tasty cheeses, crackers, beers and cold cuts to accompany the pickles ... I will just have to tell my wife that I have to do it otherwise the pickles will spoil... Rick said so [emoji23] .... I don't usually need an excuse but its good to have one... [emoji2] [emoji6]

stickman · Mar 8, 2017

Trippa said:
[emoji23] I hear you Rick ... So you are saying in the next week I need to buy lots of tasty cheeses, crackers, beers and cold cuts to accompany the pickles ... I will just have to tell my wife that I have to do it otherwise the pickles will spoil... Rick said so [emoji23] .... I don't usually need an excuse but its good to have one... [emoji2] [emoji6]

Sure, why not... I've got a broad back.

Fermented pickles like these are found in the Jewish delis in the lower east side of Manhattan where they traditionally accompany sandwiches made with pastrami, brisket, corned beef or Turkey. A hot Reuben sandwich with a half-sour pickle should definitely be on your bucket list if it isn't already. https://www.katzsdelicatessen.com/menu_and_local-delivery

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/zingermans-reuben-sandwich-recipe

Trippa · Mar 8, 2017

stickman said:
Sure, why not... I've got a broad back. Fermented pickles like these are found in the Jewish delis in the lower east side of Manhattan where they traditionally accompany sandwiches made with pastrami, brisket, corned beef or Turkey. A hot Reuben sandwich with a half-sour pickle should definitely be on your bucket list if it isn't already. https://www.katzsdelicatessen.com/menu_and_local-delivery

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/zingermans-reuben-sandwich-recipe

Cheers Rick .... Bucket list duly updated!! I love a good Reuben although I have never had one from Manhattan (or the USA in general) ...

Trippa · Mar 10, 2017

Quick update ... Autumn is here officially but unofficially its been good weather wise ....better then summer has been. Warm nights and days ... Getting a bit of rough weather over the coming days and then looks like it will be fine again for another few days.

My plants are looking healthy although they are still 2 months behind where I would have liked them to be.

Pubescens are currently going nicely and the Chinense are really growing now.

Chocolate Bhut Jolokia setting pods and flowering ... I have no idea if they will have time to ripen but pods are pods!

Costa Rican Red ... The most productive plant pod size wise ... Definitely a keeper for this climate!!

Some of the girls ... Cut back the tomatoes behind them last week and they are loving the little bit of extra light!

Red Rocoto Peruvian MKT (PaulG) ... Think I finally have a pod set!

Corn in the background I am hoping to get a few cobs off soon.... The Pubescens in the front are the best production wise ... Left is Ecuadorian sweet and right is Costa Rican red. The middle back Chinense is one of the 7 pot yellows

sunflower with resident bumble Bee's

Farm life

stickman · Mar 10, 2017

Your Pubes are definitely looking the happiest Tristan! You're at about 40 degrees south latitude aren't you? I'd be willing to bet that your Chinense and Annuum varieties planted outdoors would do better with Infrared-transparent plastic mulch like I use here. I'm at 42 degrees north latitide, and don't think I'd get a good harvest of supers without it. Here's hoping you get a decent harvest of supers this year! :party:

RaelThomas · Mar 10, 2017

Looking beautiful, mate!

stickman said:
Your Pubes are definitely looking the happiest Tristan! You're at about 40 degrees south latitude aren't you? I'd be willing to bet that your Chinense and Annuum varieties planted outdoors would do better with Infrared-transparent plastic mulch like I use here. I'm at 42 degrees north latitide, and don't think I'd get a good harvest of supers without it. Here's hoping you get a decent harvest of supers this year!

Interesting! Think I should look into this, too.

Devv · Mar 10, 2017

Great pics Tristan!

Glad to see the healthy plants! Love the hilly terrain, and it looks like you get nice rains too! Everything is thriving, so a good year

I think I see a Bermuda type grass (invasive), that's what we have here. Really tough to eradicate!

RaelThomas · Mar 10, 2017

Devv said:
Great pics Tristan!

Glad to see the healthy plants! Love the hilly terrain, and it looks like you get nice rains too! Everything is thriving, so a good year

I think I see a Bermuda type grass (invasive), that's what we have here. Really tough to eradicate!

I feel the pain. It's in the backyard at my new place, so annoying. It even creeps under the shed and starts growing inside.

I started pulling it away from the edges of my beds and applying Glyphosate (ie. Roundup) very carefully to any shoots in the garden bed. Seems to be curbing it. I was pulling it every day beforehand. The grass, that is.

Devv · Mar 11, 2017

I have mostly, like 98% erradicated it from the garden. Gotta keep after it, never let it get a foot hold. I try and get all the roots if one pops up in the garden. It's in the orchard and the fields. I spray a 2 foot perimeter around the garden to keep it at bay. I buy the Glyphosate in bulk concentrate, and mix it, I bought 2.5 gallons for $60 US 5 years ago. Still have more than half left. So much cheaper than Roundup.

It too grows into the sheds here. I made some raised beds for winter crops and made a cement base with drains and a 20" concrete walkway around them to keep the Bermuda out.

Good luck with it!

Trippa · Mar 13, 2017

stickman said:
Your Pubes are definitely looking the happiest Tristan! You're at about 40 degrees south latitude aren't you? I'd be willing to bet that your Chinense and Annuum varieties planted outdoors would do better with Infrared-transparent plastic mulch like I use here. I'm at 42 degrees north latitide, and don't think I'd get a good harvest of supers without it. Here's hoping you get a decent harvest of supers this year!

Yeah not far off about 39 degrees south ... But with all the volatility of an island rather then the big extremes of a large land mass ... Ie not as hot and not as cold (on a regular basis) as someone at the same equivalent latitude on a big continent. I think you might be right ... Just to get things jump started started
Cheers Rick!

Trippa · Mar 13, 2017

RaelThomas said:
Looking beautiful, mate!

Interesting! Think I should look into this, too.

Cheers bro ... How is your season tracking?